Seven Easy Steps to Reduce Exposure to Toxic Flame Retardants

"Time is of the essence. We didn't know before, but now we do and it's not an issue of pointing fingers or accusing anybody. Now that we know the consequences, we need to immediately change. It's time to find ways to prevent such chemicals from entering the environment in the first place, to find alternatives, and to anticipate problems before they occur. We cannot wait to find a cure for dangerous products after they are in the environment and in us." -Jean-Michel Cousteau

During an expedition a few years ago, Jean-Michel Cousteau and his Ocean Futures Society team discovered an alarming fact: many populations of killer whales are contaminated with many toxic, synthetic chemicals, including a class of flame retardants known as PBDEs.

These flame retardants are in use because the State of California requires that some products be flame resistant, for example, furniture and many children's products.

Five Known Facts About Toxic Flame Retardants

California Laws Are Creating A Toxic Environment For The World

Since the 1980's, a California law has required manufacturers to saturate baby products, home electronics, furniture foams and fabrics with toxic flame retardant chemicals, such as PBDEs. (Technical Bulletin 117)